18 November 2015•Update: 18 November 2015
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will not be holding talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un any time soon, according to a spokesperson, who dismissed recent claims to the contrary Wednesday.
Following reports that Ban was about to become the first UN chief in more than two decades to visit the reclusive state, an official response made clear that such suggestions were premature.
"The secretary-general will not be traveling to [North Korea] next week," the spokesperson insisted.
Ban had been all set to make the trip in May, before Pyongyang canceled the plan at the last minute.
The former South Korean foreign minister has already expressed his determination to try to alleviate tensions on the peninsula.
The Koreas remain technically in a state of war as they never signed a peace treaty at the end of their 1950-53 conflict.
But North Korea has become increasingly isolated due to its widely condemned nuclear weapon ambitions, which have drawn repeated UN resolutions and sanctions.
At least for now, Ban's ambitions remain on ice at best -- Wednesday's statement explained that he will be in New York next week before heading to Malta.
